


Rainy Days

by dank_anxiety



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:00:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26726314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dank_anxiety/pseuds/dank_anxiety
Summary: Zuko was never good with saying goodbye, and now is especially hard for the leader of the Fire Nation.( hi author here this is my first one shot/any sort of writing in years now and im sorry if its bad, please have a nice day. )
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 21





	Rainy Days

Quiet footsteps echoed down the empty halls of the Fire Nation Palace. Pairs of dark robes gently swayed with each step, complementing the dark themes of the rugs, wood, and curtains. Grey skies marked the beginning of a storm, gentle raindrops hitting the newly cleaned windows. The world was silent that day, sobs deafened by the respect they held for a man, refusing to interrupt the mourning of others. 

A group of friends and family walked down the halls in silence together, tears staining their cheeks except for one. Toph Beifong quietly let her tears slip, holding her dear friend Katara’s hand. She had an especially hard time with the loss of her husband shortly after her brother, her kids right next to her just as upset. They knew the day would come, but Tenzin, Kya, and Bumi never thought they would lose their father so soon. Even Mai shed a tear or two, though she swears it was just the light hitting her pale skin at an odd angle.

The funeral was held in the Fire Nation- the same place where Avatar Aang had finally passed. He was there on Diplomatic Business, but fell ill shortly after arriving. Just three days had gone by and the world knew his time was up. Zuko had the displeasure of watching his best friend die before him. The Firelord felt like it was his fault for having him come to the Palace. Constant thoughts of what if’s and why’s plagued his mind day and night, though he never cried a single tear- not even during the funeral. The Firelord was quick yet graceful in showing everyone their rooms, wiping Toph’s tears and hugging Katara to let them know he was there. It felt like deja vu; they’d gone through something similar with Sokka, though that was in Republic City. 

Once he knew everyone was settled and comfortable, he took his leave to his room, gently declining Mai’s offer to go with him and relax with him. He claimed that he had business to do and didn’t want to bore her. Mai knew when he was lying, but she never pushed. She only watched as Zuko made his way down the hall and disappeared around a corner, biting the inside of her cheek before turning and leaving with her daughter.

Behind closed mahogany doors, the Firelord slowly succumbed to the growing despair and sadness in his chest, making sure the door was locked through blurred vision. Despite how quickly Zuko put on a front, it fell apart even quicker and the fire bender couldn’t stop the broken sobs from escaping. Shaky hands tried to find anything to cling to, scratching at a nearby table as the Leader of an entire nation fell to his knees with hot tears rolling down his cheeks. Time quickly became blotted out, Zuko losing track of how long he stayed in his room letting his sadness run its course. He was unaware of his screaming reaching his friends ears, his hands starting to bleed from how tightly his hands were clenched into fists, how disheveled his usually neat hair was, how much sorrow shone through his eyes. He couldn’t hear himself think, thoughts of how it was his fault whispering and overlapping. They did start off quiet, but by the end of the day they were screaming.

The Sun, uncaring for the world’s loss, set behind the clouds like it was any other day. The Moon began peeking over the mountains and dancing with the stars by the time Zuko had finally calmed down. Scratch marks and dried blood decorated his arms, his chapped bottom lip gave way to the idea of a lip biting panic attack, his red eyes and tear stained cheeks evident of how he finally accepted what had happened.

The walk to the living room was quiet, amber eyes looking into each room secretly hoping to see his best friend doing something stupid and laughing. He always liked Aang’s laugh; it was infectious and always got him in a good mood. As Zuko finally approached the living room, he was met with his friends and wife’s concerned faces, looking up at him the moment he made his presence known. Zuko only looked to Katara for a moment before letting his eyes tear up once more, everyone rushing to him once they saw a new tear fall. Katara ushered sweet nothings, Mai ran her fingers through his hair, Kya, Izumi, and Tenzin offered to get him anything. Bumi tried to make him laugh, but instead ended up joining him and crying. The night was silent, but they could all hear their quiet cries of sadness and longing for the man that changed each of their lives.

Zuko wished he could hear Aang’s laugh again. He missed it.


End file.
